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he brought upon. And being disposed that God would teach him about a just recompense, he said these things to Job. It is indeed true that at times God brings upon e297 painful things on account of sin, for one who is able to understand His infliction, which is with wisdom even in bitter things, that He brings afflictions not in vengeance, but medicinally and for the health of the soul; knowing which, one of the saints said: "I will bless you, Lord, because you were angry with me for salvation." And it is a divine gift to receive knowledge of the judgments of God, about which it is said: "your judgments are a great abyss." But this much we know, that they are accomplished for our benefit, even if we do not comprehend. And let there be for an ex»a»mple a certain designated island, to which a ruler sends out those who have offended and erred; and it is clear this man is supposed to be just, so that everyone who is sent to the island to dwell there endures this for having sinned, even if we do not know the exact reason for the error. And he adduces pr»o»of that God does all things in wisdom, saying, "it will be double to you," saying double, I think, for that which differs by an incomparable superiority, the word having been weakly utter»e»d by him. But that the judgments of God have deep knowledge, blessed David teaches, 298 to whom "the unseen and hidden things of wisdom" were revealed, saying: "Your knowledge has been too wonderful for me; it is mighty, I cannot attain to it." And another says concerning wisdom: "I s»ai»d: I will be wise, and it was far removed from me, further than it was. And a deep depth; who will find it?" and then you will know that you have received from the Lord things worthy of what you have sinned. Still holding to the same thought, speaking as to one who has sinned, he says that if the Lord should speak to you and set you according to his own wisdom, from which having known his superiority you will learn, "that you have received from the Lord things worthy of what you have sinned." But this man says these things rashly, not understanding the causes of what is done by God to one who does understand, that he endured these things for the sake of manlin»e»ss, awaiting the praise from God who said: "Do you think that I have dealt with y»ou» otherwise than that you might be shown to be just?" For he himself, "who makes and remakes all things," knows the judgment of each. Will you find the track of the Lord, or have you reached the uttermost things which the Almighty has made? From some plausible point he speaks brazenly 299 to the holy man; for since he knows that it is a great thing to comprehend th»e» administrations of providence, he makes his argument to him, asserting: "Will you find the track of the Lord or have you reached the uttermost things," saying uttermost for the outcomes of events. But this man is also refuted, as are the other friends; for, as if they had comprehended that he suffers these things because of sin, they were running him down. It is also possible to understand "uttermost things" in another way; as it has also been said: "bringing up clouds from the end of the earth." And further, the "uttermost" is that for whose sake are all other things, while it is itself for the sake of nothing. F»o»r example: the end is health; for on account of this are the other things, I mean remedies, and labors and efforts to this end. And the ends of the world are also called "uttermost"; as it is said: "an ocean impassable to men, and the worlds beyond it are governed by the same ordinances of the master." The psalmist, having a conception of God as having encompassed both the beginnings and the ends and in sum all things that come to be from him, said: "Behold, you, Lord, have made all things, the last and the first." The he»a»ven is high, and what will you do? And what do you know of things deeper than those in Hades? or long»e»r than the measure of the earth or the breadth of the sea? Through all these things he wishes to show that the knowledge of men is measured, not attaining to the judgments of God. And so now: heaven, he says, is, and things deeper than Hades and longer than the earth and the breadth of the sea; say something about them, if you are able. And perhaps he hints that even if one should attempt to speak at length about earth and sea and heaven, yet he is ignorant of the things beyond. This can refute those who have attempted Hellenic wisdom and from

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ἐπήγαγεν. διακείμενος δέ, ὅτι ὡς περὶ ἀνταποδόσεως διδάξει αὐτὸν ὁ θεὸς δικαίας, ταῦτα τῷ Ἰὼβ ἔλεγεν. ἔστιν μὲν οὖν ἀληθῶς, ὅτε δι' ἁμαρτίας θεὸς ἐπάγει ἐ297 πίπονα, κατανοῆσαι τῷ δυναμένῳ τὴν μετὰ σοφίας αὐτοῦ καὶ ἐν τοῖς πικροῖς ἐπαγωγήν, ὅτι οὐκ ἀμυνόμενος, ἀλλ' ἰατρικῶς καὶ πρὸς ὑγίειαν ψυχῆς ἐπάγει τὰς θλίψεις· ὅπερ ἐπιστάμενος εἷς τῶν ἁγίων ἔφη· "εὐλογήσω σε, κύριε, ὅτι ὠργίσθης μοι εἰς σωτηρίαν." χαρίσματος δὲ θείου ἐστὶν τὸ δέξασθαι γνῶσιν τῶν τοῦ θεοῦ κριμάτων, περὶ ὧν εἴρηται· "τὰ κρίματά σου ἄβυσσος πολλή." τοσοῦτον δὲ γιγνώσκομεν, ὅτι πρὸς τὸ συμφέρον ἐπιτελοῦνται, κἂν μὴ καταλαμβάνωμεν. καὶ ἔστω ὡς ἐπὶ παραδ»ε»ίγματος νῆσός τις ἀφωρισμένη, εἰς ἣν τοὺς πταίοντας καὶ σφαλλομένους ἄρχων ἐκπέμπει· δίκαιος δὲ οὗτος ὑποκεῖσθαι δῆλος, ὡς πᾶς, ὅστις γοῦν εἰς τὴν νῆσον ἀποστέλλεται ἐκεῖσε οἰκῆσαι, ἁμαρτὼν τοῦτο ὑπομένει, κἂν μὴ τὴν ἀκριβῆ αἰτίαν τοῦ σφάλματος γιγνώσκωμεν. ἀπόδ»ε»ιξιν δὲ τοῦ σοφίᾳ πάντα ποιεῖν τὸν θεὸν ἐπάγει λέγων, ὅτι "διπλοῦς ἔσται τῷ κατὰ σέ", διπλοῦν, ὡς ἡγοῦμαι, λέγων τὸν ἀσυνκρίτῳ ὑπεροχῇ διαφέροντα, ἀσθενῶς τῆς λέξεως ὑπ' αὐτοῦ προενεχθ»ε»ίσης. ὅτι δὲ τὰ κρίματα τοῦ θεοῦ βαθεῖαν ἔχει τὴν γνῶσιν, διδάσκει 298 ∆αυὶδ μακάριος, ᾧ "τὰ ἄδηλα καὶ τὰ κρύφια τῆς σοφίας" πεφανέρωται λέγων· "ἐθαυμαστώθη ἡ γνῶσίς σου ἐξ ἐμοῦ· ἐκραταιώθη, οὐ μὴ δύνωμαι πρὸς αὐτήν." καὶ ἕτερος περὶ τῆς σοφίας λέγει· "ε»ἶ»πα· σοφισθήσομαι, καὶ αὐτὴ ἐμακρύνθη μακρὰν ἀπ' ἐμοῦ ὑπὲρ ὃ ἦν. καὶ βαθὺ βάθος· τίς εὑρήσει αὐτήν;" καὶ τότε γνώσῃ, ὅτι ἄξιά σοι ἀπέβη ἀπὸ κυρίου ὧν ἡμάρτηκας. ἔτι τῆς αὐτῆς ἐχόμενος διανοίας ὡς πρὸς ἁμαρτήσαντα διαλεγόμενός φησιν, ὅτι εἰ λαλήσαι κύριος πρὸς σὲ καὶ ἐπιστήσαι σε κατὰ τὴν σοφίαν ἑαυτοῦ, ἐξ̣ οὗ γνοὺς τὴν ὑπεροχὴν αὐτοῦ μαθήσει, "ὅτι ἄξιά σοι ἀπέβη ἀπὸ κυρίου ὧν ἡμάρτηκας". προπετείᾳ δὲ ταῦτα οὗτος λέγει μὴ ἐπιστάμενος τῶν ὑπὸ θεοῦ γιγνομένων τὰς αἰτίας πρὸς ἐπιστάμενον, ὅτι ἀνδρ»ε»ίας ἕνεκεν ταῦτα ὑπέμενεν τὸν ἀπὸ θεοῦ ἔπαινον ἀπεκδεχόμενος τὸν εἰπόντα· "οἴει δέ με ἄλλως σο»ι» κεχρηματικέναι ἢ ἵνα ἀναφανῇς δίκαιος;" αὐτὸς γὰρ "ὁ ποιῶν πάντα καὶ μετασκευάζων" οἶδεν ἑκάστου τὸ κρίμα. μὴ ἴχνος κυρίου εὑρήσεις, ἢ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα ἀφίκου, ἃ ἐποίησεν ὁ παντοκράτωρ. ἀπό τινος πιθανοῦ θρασέως διαλέγεται 299 τῷ ἁγίῳ· ἐπεὶ γὰρ οἶδεν, ὅτι μέγα ἐστὶν τὰ»ς» τῆς προνοίας διοικήσεις καταλαβεῖν, ποιεῖται λόγον πρὸς αὐτὸν φάσκων· "μὴ ἴχνος κυρίου εὑρήσεις ἢ εἰς τὰ ἔσχατα ἀφίκου", ἔσχατα λέγων τὰς τῶν γιγνομένων ἐκβάσεις. ἐλέγχεται δὲ καὶ οὗτος καὶ οἱ ἄλλοι φίλοι· ὡς γὰρ κατειληφότες, ὅτι δι' ἁμαρτίας ταῦτα πάσχει, κατέτρεχον αὐτοῦ. ἔστιν δὲ καὶ ἄλλως τὰ ἔσχ̣ατα νοῆσαι· καθὸ καὶ εἴρηται· "ἀνάγων νεφέλας ἐξ ἐσχάτου τῆς γῆς." καὶ ἔτι τὸ ἔσχατον τοιοῦτον, οὗ χάριν τὰ ἄλλα πάντα, αὐτὸ δὲ οὐδενὸς ἕνεκεν. ε᾿̣π̣ὶ δὲ παραδείγματος· τέλος ἡ ὑγίεια· διὰ γὰρ ταύτην τὰ ἄλλα, βοηθήματα λέγω, καὶ κάματοι καὶ σπουδαὶ εἰς τοῦτο. λέγεται δὲ καὶ τὰ πέρατα τοῦ κόσμου ἔσχατα· καθὸ εἴρηται· "ὠκεανὸς ἀπέραντος ἀνθρώποις καὶ οἱ μετ' αὐτὸν κόσμοι ταῖς αὐταῖς ταγαῖς τοῦ δεσπότου διιθύνονται." ἔννοιαν ἔχων ὁ ψαλμῳδὸς περὶ θεοῦ ὡς ἐκπεριειληφότος καὶ τὰς ἀρχὰς καὶ τὰ τέλη καὶ συνόλως πάντα τὰ ὑπ' αὐτοῦ γιγνόμενα ἔλεγεν· "ἰδού, σύ, κύριε, ἐποίησας πάντα τὰ ἔσχατα καὶ τὰ ἀρχαῖα." ὑψηλὸς ὁ ο»ὐ»ρανός, καὶ τί ποιήσεις; βαθύτερα δὲ τῶν ἐν ᾅδου τί οἶδας; ἢ μα300 κρότερα μέτρου γῆς ἢ εὔρους θαλάσσης; δ»ε»ῖξαι βούλεται διὰ πάντων τούτων, ὅτι ἡ τῶν ἀνθρώπων γνῶσις μεμετρημένη ἐστίν, μὴ ἐφικνουμένη τὰ τοῦ θεοῦ κρίματα. καὶ νῦν γοῦν· οὐρανός, φησίν, ἔστιν καὶ ᾅδου βαθύτερα καὶ μακρότερα γῆς καὶ τοῦ εὔρους τῆς θαλάσσης· λέγε τι περὶ αὐτῶν, εἰ δύνασαι. αἰνίττεται δὲ ἴσως, ὅτι κἂν ἐπιχειρήσῃ τις περὶ γῆς καὶ θαλάττης καὶ οὐρανοῦ περιλαλῆσαι, ἀλλὰ τὰ ὑπερέκεινα ἀγνοεῖ. δύναται τοῦτο ἐλέγχειν τοὺς περὶ Ἑλληνικὴν σο φίαν ἐπ̣ειρημένους καὶ ἐξ